Wisconsin vs. Notre Dame Shamrock Series smashes viewership records

NBC and Peacock recently touted the success of the Wisconsin Badgers Week 1 showdown against Notre Dame.

The game didn’t end how UW wanted, but they hung in there for the first 30 minutes, and that’s when the most eyes were on the game.

According to the NBC Sports press release, viewership peaked at 9.7 million viewers in the second quarter, which made it the most-streamed Notre Dame on NBC simulcast ever.

Overall, the game averaged 8.1 million viewers, so it’ll go on record as the third-most-watched Fighting Irish game since 2005.

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• Across all networks, Wisconsin-Notre Dame was the most-watched college football game of the weekend.

• This the largest audience for an NBC Sports’ broadcast of a Notre Game where the opponent was unranked.

• The 2026 Shamrock Series saw an 87% increase in viewers from the Fighting Irish‘s 2024 season opener.

• The only other Notre Dame games since 2005 with more viewers:

  • 2020: 10.4 million vs. No. 1 Clemson

  • 2023: 10.6 million vs. No. 6 Ohio State

Across all networks, Wisconsin-Notre Dame was the most-watched college football game of the weekend.

This the largest audience for an NBC Sports’ broadcast of a Notre Game where the opponent was unranked.

The 2026 Shamrock Series saw an 87% increase in viewers from the Fighting Irish‘s 2024 season opener.

The only other Notre Dame games since 2005 with more viewers:

2020: 10.4 million vs. No. 1 Clemson

2023: 10.6 million vs. No. 6 Ohio State

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